58 



CEYLON BRANCH 



bitants. In this year, of the 42,129 professed native Christians 

 in Colombo district 988 Were members ; of 171,189 in Jaffna 

 18, and of 81,266 in Galle district only 6 were members. 



In 1734, Roman Catholicism was getting a footing in 

 Galle, which suggested the strict execution of the Govern- 

 ment placards against popery. During the country visitation 

 the minister destroyed seven places of heathen offering, without 

 hinderance or molestation, which led to the inference that 

 Government might easily if they would, crush idolatry alto- 

 gether. The classes of Delft, Delfsland and Schieland, as 

 also that of Walcheren in their reply of 1733, regretted that 

 of the vast number baptized, so few were real professors, call- 

 ing them Christianos sine Christo? and desired to know the 

 reason or cause why the numbers of these two classes were so 

 disproportionate ; whether their profession of Christianity was 

 by birth, or by transition from idolatry, and what were the 

 most effectual means of uprooting the evil. The Colombo 

 consistory replied, that as far as concerned their own district, 

 they had not so much cause of complaint about the prevalence 

 of temples, priests and superstitious practices, though it was 

 true such practices existed in secret ; that they had 988 native 

 communicants, which number would be greater if the means 

 of grace were more copiously afforded ; that there were but 

 two places, namely Negombo and Cotta, in which the Sacra- 

 ments were administered quarterly in Singhalese and Malabar, 

 so that several members had to travel twenty or thirty miles 

 to attend on these occasions ; that the natives had to serve the 

 Company, and burdens to bear, which precluded the opportu- 

 nity of receiving regular instruction ; that the headmen were 

 great obstacles to the moral improvement of the people. The 

 other reasons which they specify have already been mentioned. 



About this time the subject of " the separation or com- 



